Forever and Always
by ParkerGirl
Summary: Spider, Bomber and Buffer find some very interesting objects on board Hammersley
1. Chapter 1

**First I would like to say some things.**

**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to my beta TheBlackBrumby, she goes through everything for me. Kicks my butt to make me right and not give up some days I want to throw my computer out the window.**

**I have really crappy grammar skills, that's why I owe my beta a lot. So reviews and raves go to both of us.**

**On with the story**

ET died but was replaced by a female office called Horse instead of 2-dads but 2-dads will be her replacement in later chapters. It's set about a month after season 3 episode 4 I think, it has been almost two months since ET's death.

---

Kate rubbed her head; she had been working on her reports for two hours now. She heard someone walking down the corridor; she thought nothing of it as she signed off another report.

"Kate?" Nikki asked as she walked into their shared cabin, she looked at her cabin buddy before her eyes landed on the photo of her and ET that was taken not long before he died.

Kate looked up at Nikki, her eyes landing on one of the cups in Nikki's hands.

"'Horse's Brew," the brunette said as she handed Kate a mug.

"Thanks, these reports are so…" she paused, looking for the right word.

"Annoying?" Nikki supplied, leaning against the desk and taking a sip of her hot drink.

"That's the one," Kate mumbled as she too took a sip of her drink as well.

"Navigator and XO, required on the bridge." RO's voice came over the loudspeaker, Nikki and Kate looked at each other before sighing.

"Great." Kate mumbled,

"Lets go." Kate said and got up, she clutched her mug as she made her way to the bridge with Nikki. Nikki was smirking behind Kate as they made their way to the bridge, why were they always called when having their morning cuppa?

"X, Nav." the CO said as they came to the bridge, the girls were looking at him expectantly.

"Morning, sir." They said together before taking another sip of their brew's, Nav went her post while Kate put down her drink and grabbed a pair of binoculars.

"Wesburn Island Nav, the cyclone that went past us two nights ago has just gone over them." the CO informed the two girls.

"Yes sir." Nav said she started plotting the course, consolting her maps and satellite readings.

"Steer 230," Nav said looking up from her course to Spider, he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Steer 230" Spider replied, turning the ship to the right direction.

"Spider you're relieved of watch, Horse take the wheel," Mike said, shifting around in his seat.

"Aye sir." Spider said and switched with Horse, he stretched; his shoulders cracked in the mean time. Nav chuckled and took a sip of her brew.

Kate looked around for something to do, finding nothing she remembered her reports sitting in their cabin.

"Sir, I'm going to finish my reports." Kate said after she got a nod from Mike, she grabbed her mug off the table and walked out. Spider also looked around and decided to go find something to do.

"I need some coffee sir, excuse me," Spider said as he followed Kate's departure.

"Call me up from my cabin when we get there, I need to take a cat nap. Navigator has the ship." He called and stood, walking out like the previous two.

"Navigator has the ship," Nav responded, sitting where Mike was recently sitting.

"How are you feeling since last night, Nav?" Horse asked, looking up from a book she had snuck in.

"I'm fine, Horse." Nav responded, "Thanks for your help though."

"It's nothing, just don't get used to me being around in a few months." Horse said, her hand dropped to her just visible bump, Nav smiled as she remembered.

---

Below deck, Spider made himself a cup of coffee.

"How much of this herbal stuff can one person drink? Don't they go insane or something?" he asked Bomber as he added 4 teaspoons of sugar to his coffee.

"The X and Nav have started drinking it to," Bomber replied as she wiped down a counter after the boy's breakfast.

"Officers must be on crack or something." Spider commented as he took a sip of his super sweet coffee, Buffer hit him as he walked in.

"Sorry, Buff." Spider said and looked down, he eyed the cream in the fridge as Bomber opened and closed it.

"Damn straight.' Buffer said and shook his head, what were they ever going to do with Spider?

"I'll be back," Spider said in a fake Schwarzenegger accent, he put down his coffee and walked quickly out of the galley. He stopped halfway down the hall, seeing something poking out of a garbage bag.

"Buff? Bomber?" he called, eyeing the little object with a curious look.

"What Spider?" Buffer asked as he came up behind the boy with a mug in his hand, his eyes cast to the garbage cans where he saw the little object.

"Nav?" Bomber asked, standing beside the boys as she too spotted the items.

"Possibly?" Spider replied, tilting his head to the side as he weighed up the possibilities for who it could be.

"X?" Buffer asked, doing the same as Spider.

"No way…" Bomber whispered, slightly leaning against Buffer in thought.

"Horse?" Spider asked as he glanced sideways to Buffer and Bomber.

"She already knows, why would she have to take a test when she already is?" Buffer said, stating the obvious.

"Good point."

"Incoming." Bomber muttered, spying the CO walking towards them.

"What's going on? Last time I checked I thought the galley was the social meeting area." He chuckled as he came up to the trio; he too caught sight of the objects.

"Whose are they?" Mike asked through clenched teeth, a burst of shock and anger surged through his veins.

"I don't know sir," Bomber answered him, looking at the ground in awkwardness.

"Put them in a plastic bag and bring them to my cabin I'm going to talk to the girls about this, Bomber you included." he said and walked off, very serious.

"Someone's dead." Spider stated, speaking out loud for everyone.

"Yup," Buffer said, confirming it with a nod of his head.

"You said it," Bomber murmured and walked back to the galley, fetching a black plastic bag.

---

Mike stood in front of the girls, they were looking at everything except Mike.

"Whose are they?" Mike said as he held up the bag of pregnancy tests. Nav, X, Horse and Bomber looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"I want to know or all of you will be cleaning the quarter deck with a toothbrush," he warned, they looked at each other again.

"I know it's either Nav, X or Horse since you three are the only ones not drinking coffee at the moment," he said then paused.

"Scratch that, Horse you're not included because you're already pregnant."

The three girls were silent as Mike slightly glared at each of them, mentally begging someone to step forward.

"It's me, sir." Nav said taking a small step forward, she looked at her feet.

"Thank you Nav, X please stay. Bomber and Horse you're dismissed.' he told them.


	2. Chapter 2

Mike was leaning against his desk, Nav standing before him; she was blushing furiously.

"Nav, why did you take them onboard instead of on shore where no-one would find out?" Mike asked softly, glancing at his feet before trying to meet her eyes.

"Because, even though it belongs to ET," she paused, meeting his eyes briefly before looking at her polished boots.

"Some people might think I'm already sleeping around and I wanted some support," Nav kept her eyes downcast, normally she would look at Mike face to face but she didn't want to tell him that only one test was hers.

Kate was standing quietly off to the side as her Commanding Officer spoke to his crew member. She got lost in a slight day dream, glancing between Mike and Nikki.

"You knew, X?" Mike was surprised and it showed on his face, she blushed furiously as she met his eyes.

"Err…yes?" Kate stammered as she tried to cover up her surprise.

"Ok." He paused as he looked between the two girls again.

"Let's just get this rescue mission underway, Nav go back to the bridge and X, a word." Mike commanded with a businesses like tone.

"Yes sir," Nav responded quickly, she quickly walked out of the cabin. After the door closed, Mike rounded on Kate.

"Kate, why didn't you tell me?"

If they were at his place or hers, he would be yelling by now. His voice was barely contained now in the tiny cabin.

"Mike," She pleaded.

"Not here, not now." Kate spoke quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"Kate, if you don't tell me, so help me, you won't be leading another boarding for a month. I want to know, now." He was stern on the outside but on the inside he was being torn to bits with the need to know.

"Not here," She replied.

"Now," Mike countered, he was bristling with the need to know.

"No,"

Her stubborn gear kicked into action, Mike was starting to loose it. He pinched the bridge of his nose before taking a deep breath.

"I want,"

"To know,"

"Now!" His bubble finally burst as he yelled the last word.

"Not here!" Kate yelled back, their eyes squared off in battle; each of them knew the other wouldn't sway because of their stubborn attitude.

"When then?" He asked.

"Kate, you've hardly talked to me since we boarded at 0900 on Monday," his voice was quiet, he didn't want the whole crew to know about their relationship.

It was Kate's turn to burst, her voice screaming.

"Fine! You want to know? One of them is mine!"

She walked out, slamming the door behind her; she left Mike stunned with a funny look on his face.

_She's carrying my child._ He thought, he sighed deeply and collapsed into a sitting position on his bed. He had always wanted a child but not like this, anything but this.

_--Flashback--_

_Mike looked at Kate; she was looking at some birds in the bird bath. She was relaxed and at home. She looked even sexier than when she was leading the boarding parties, her hair fell around her face; framing it beautifully. He felt himself harden at the thought, his eyes widened._

"_Mike, do you want to stay over? You'd save more petrol if we went back to work together." Kate interrupted his attempts to think of other things, her question just made it worse._

"_Alright," he said as he got up to take his plate to the sink, she stopped him when she placed her hand over his. She also stood up, turning his hand to hold it and stepped forward. Her lips crashed to his, he tried to contain himself; he realised she was pushing herself onto him. He moaned, his thoughts beyond normal all he wanted to do was make her his._

"_Mike," Kate gasped, her breathing shallow. "Spend the night, but not on the couch. With me."_

_His lips crashed to hers, he picked her up in his arms and walked towards her bedroom._

_-- End Flashback--_

Mike sighed, burying his face in his hands. Why must everything me so hard? An old memory suddenly flashed through his head.

"_You're sure?" Mike asked Tori, she nodded her head and started to shake. _

_He was only seventeen, about to turn eighteen and graduate; heading off to the Australian Defence Force Academy. His girlfriend had called him wanting to talk, if only he had known what 'talk' meant. Maybe he would've been more prepared._

"_I'm almost a week late," she sighed and sat down next to him on her bed._

"_And you've taken a test?" He asked quietly, he didn't want to be a father yet. Tori was a great person to be with, she was nice and caring but she wasn't ready to be a mother. Let alone be one married to someone who was going to be a navy officer and was never going to be home._

"_Yes and I went to the doctor. I'm waiting for his call now." she said and lay back onto her bed. Mike lay down beside her and gathered her in his arms, he felt her shake. He looked at her face, a small tear slipped down her cheek. They had been each other's first, what a way to go out with a bang._

"_What will you do? Do you want to keep it or get rid of it?" Mike asked as he wiped away a tear with his thumb. He gently kissed her forehead and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly._

"_I don't know. I want to go to Uni as much as you want to go to the ADFC or whatever it's called." Tori sighed and closed her eyes, placing her head on his chest._

"_ADFA," he corrected her, chuckling slightly. She had always called it something different no matter how many times he corrected her._

"_Like I said; whatever." she smiled as he laughed her favourite laugh. _

_The song, save a horse ride a cowboy rung out, Tori jumped out of Mike's arms quickly to answer her phone. She picked it up and quickly jumped back into Mike's arms._

"_Hello?" Tori asked, she could feel her heart leap into her throat._

Is it the doctor?_ He mouthed; she nodded as she went pale; listening to what the doctor had to say. There was some talk, Mike got paler and paler as the minutes passed._

"_I'm not?" Tori asked into the phone, her voice full of relief. A few more minutes passed as Mike collapsed on the bed with a loud sigh._

"_Thank you," she said and hung up. She smiled widely and looked at Mike._

"'_I'm not pregnant!" She squealed, tackle hugging him._

"_Oh," he tried to sound sincere, but he was so relieved._

"_Mike, there's something else too." Tori sat up in his arms, he did the same while looking deeply into her dark eyes._

"_We've known each other for years now, we've been through everything together," She looked at the pictures on her wall. There were many of her and Mike throughout the years, their sixteenth birthdays and events._

_Mike nodded, thinking he knew where this was going._

"_I love you so much but with the way things are going, I mean, we're graduating soon and going our separate ways." She paused, meeting his eyes._

"_You're going to ADFA in Canberra and I'm going to outback NSW to complete my Rural Vet degree. It would be hard on us to do long distance." Tori glanced down at their entwined hands._

"_I think, for the best, we should go back to being friends." Tori whispered as a few tears slipped down her cheeks again, Mike knew it was leading to this and decided he'd be strong for the two of them._

"'_Are you sure?" he asked, putting his finger under her chin and making her look at him._

"_Yes Mike, I'm sure, you need to blow 'em out at ADFA anyways." she smiled at him through her tears and hugged him. Mike pulled her into a passionate kiss, his fingers entwining with her thick dark hair. His tongue ran along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. _

_In that one kiss, he told her how much he loved her. How much he was going to try and make the future work for them. How much he was going to miss her and how much he needed her in his life._

_They were best friends, one couldn't live without the other._

_Tori pulled away from him, breathless._

"_Seeya round, Torz." Mike whispered, kissing her head for the last time. _

"_Goodbye,"_

"_Bye," _

_He got up and left, relief was evident in his steps as he closed the door and left the house. and hope that this wouldn't happen again._


	3. Chapter 3

Mike fell back onto his bed, reliving the memories of his adolescents. He hadn't spoken to Tori in years but deep down he knew they were still friends. He felt the emptiness well up inside him again, he had pushed to the back of his mind years ago.

Was she still alive?

"Commanding Officer, requested at the bridge," Nav's voice broke through his thoughts, as he came out of his daze; he stood and slowly walked out of his cabin towards the bridge. As he rounded the corner, he ran into X; his thoughts still elsewhere.

"Sorry sir," Kate mumbled, she avoided his eyes as she moved to the side.

"It's alright X, it was my fault since my thoughts were else where." he said and passed her, walking quickly to the bridge.

---

Kate walked down to the gully to get some herbal tea or 'Horse's brew' as they called it; her thoughts, like his, were elsewhere.

---

Mike took a breath before opening the door to the bridge; he walked in and was instantly cornered by Nav.

"Sir, we have been asked by NAVCOM to collect passengers from a vessel taking on water and according to Coast Watch, an unidentified vessel about 100 nautical miles away,"

"Where's the boat taking on water?" Mike asked as he took his seat at the helm.

"200 nautical miles in the same direction," She looked up from her charts, not really meeting his gaze.

"Alright, set course for the vessel and get the XO briefed," Mike said as he got up and walked around, an uneasy feeling swept over him he shook it off. He focused on the task at hand instead.

"Sir? Quick question. What about going to Wesburn Island?" Nav asked, remembering a previous order.

"RO, get NAVCOM on the phone now," he said and sat in his chair again, taking the bottle of water offered to him by Nav.

"Sir, NAVCOM," the RO replied handing Mike the phone.

"Sir, we have been tasked to collected passengers from one vessel while investigating another and then going to Wesburn Island," Mike said into the phone.

"Right Mike, HMAS Kingston is already at Wesburn Island, apparently there's more damage than we expected. The army's helping out, but they need more hands. Check out these boats and come to home base if you have passengers; then head back out." Commander Marshall ordered.

"Yes, sir," Mike replied and gave the phone back to RO, closing his eyes briefly before looking at Nav.

"Plot our course Nav, we have vessels to look at." Mike commanded as he took a sip of water.

"Yes sir," Nav's voice rang out as Mike settled back into thinking mode while keeping an eye on his crew.

---

The HMAS Hammersley pulled up a distance away from the first vessel, Nav and Miike were looking at it through binoculars. After confirming it was the right vessel, everyone shuffled to the RHIB.

"X, watch your footing and get in and out as fast as possible. Report to me as soon as things are under control." Mike said as Kate went to get into the rhib, he couldn't help but glance at her behind.

"Yes sir," Kate replied as she settled herself behind the RHIB driver, she looked up at Mike.

_Be careful. _He told her with his eyes, she nodded and told the RHIB driver to go.

Before the RHIB pulled up beside the sinking boat, Kate gave the orders.

"Buffer, secure the deck. Spider, watch the crew." Kate said as they pulled alongside the boat.

Buffer jumped off the RHIB with Spider behind, they got the crew and passengers back so Kate and the other officers could get on board. Kate quickly glanced at the ship before attempting to get out of the RHIB. As soon as she made a move, she suddenly found herself being pushed face first into the water.

Mike was looking at the boarding through the binoculars. He swore Kate looked at him, in the direction he was looking at her before chaos broke out on deck. Six crew members took hold of Buffer, Swain and Spider. One jumped down to the RHIB and pushed Kate into the water before knocking out the driver.

Mike's mind went blank, the only thought going through his head at the moment was Kate's safety; he raced out side while pulling off his shoes and jumped off the decking into the swirling water below. He didn't hear Horse or Nav shouting their protests as he jumped or the sound of gun fire whizzing towards the Hammersley.

He was only concentrating on her, she was the one carrying his child and this time she wasn't going to lose it.

"Horse! On the guns," Nav yelled picking up microphone for the megaphone.

"Yes Nav," Horse ducked back inside and grabbed a machine gun; creating a cover for Mike and Kate.

"Bomber! RO! Charge! Get the other RHIB in the water and find the CO and the X," Nav commanded, taking instant control of the ship.

"Yes Ma'am!" Charge called, he got on the controls for the RHIB while Bomber and RO got in.

"Fishing vessel on my Port Bow, let go of my crew." Nav commanded firmly and fiercly into her megaphone, she saw Charge snort in the corner of her eye.

"Charge!" she said sternly, eyeing him.

"Going!" he said and got into the RHIB with other crew members.

"Find the CO and the X then we'll get the crew back, Horse! Cover them!" Nav told them, Horse saluted from her position in confirmation. Nav quickly ducked inside to alert NAVCOM of the hostage situation.

"Navigator, Hammersley." Nav spoke into the phone getting restless, Horse had positioned herself closer to the door to be able to hear what was going on; still keeping an eye on her crew.

"_Connecting to Commander Marshall,"_

"Sir, we have reached the unidentified vessel. They have taken our Boson, Coxswain and Boson's mate. Our Commanding officer jumped into the water to find our Executive Officer who was pushed off the RHIB," Nav reported as she sat in Mike's chair, she prayed to who ever was holy that her voice sounded calm.

"_Alright Lieutenant, report to us as the situation progresses."_

"Yes sir," she said before hanging up and picking up the binoculars and watching the events take place.


	4. Chapter 4

Nikki searched the water for her CO and X, she watched the crew on board the fishing vessel as well.

The radio crackled to life.

"X-ray 82, this is Charlie 82. We have the CO and we're still looking for the X." Bomber's voice came through.

Nikki quickly turned the binoculars towards the second RHIB.

"Charlie 82, this is X-ray 82; find the X fast. Is the boss trying to get back into the water?" Nav asked as she got up from Mike's chair and looked at the situation more carefully.

There was a pause, then her response.

"Yes he is,"

"Let him back," Nav started but was quickly cut off.

"We have the X, repeat we have the X." Bomber's voice was practically yelling.

"Good work Bomb, get them back on board." Nav shook her head in relief, glad that they had found Kate.

"Gotcha,"' Bomber replied and the radio cut off.

"Horse, you're in charge. I'm going to help get the X and the CO back onboard." Nav said as she walked out onto the deck.

"I have the ship," Horse called out even though she was the only one in the bridge, she looked around rather smugly.

"Sweet." She purred and sat in Mike's seat, smirking.

---

"How are they, Bomber?" Nav asked as Mike pulled an unconscious Kate off the RHIB, he was holding her bridal style as they walked to the ward room.

"The CO's fine, the X must have taken a fair bit of water to get her unconscious, that and the fact she might have hit her head on the RHIB before she went under," Bomber reported and opened the door to the first aid room.

"Careful," Bomber warned as Mike put Kate down on the medical bed.

"Sir, she'll be fine when she comes around." Bomber told Mike with a gentle glare.

"A word, Bomber, now." Mike returned her glare and walked out, waiting for her in the corridor.

"Sir, what's going on? Are the two of you…" she was about to continue when Mike leaned close to her.

"The X is pregnant; I don't know who the father is." Mike half told the truth and half lied.

"Oh my," Bomber's hand covered her mouth in shock.

"Is there any way the baby could be hurt?" Mike asked making sure no one was listening in on their private conversation.

Realization crossed Bomber's facial features.

"It's yours," it wasn't a question but a fact.

"Bomber, not a god damn word." Mike warned, seriousness was etched all over his face.

"Yes sir, however until we're back at base there's no way I can tell if she will be holding onto the baby or not, sorry." Bomber said quietly and went back into the ward room.

"Great," Mike muttered.

"Nav, Bridge!" Mike yelled, walking towards the stairs to go to the bridge.

"Sir, X is awake!" Bomber's voice was loud, but Mike had never felt more relieved to hear those four words. He practically ran the couple of metres to the ward room.

"Katie," he crouched beside the drowsy Kate, his only concern was for her.

"Guy's out!' Nav ushered, the other crew members out of the ward room.

"If either of you mention a single thing to any other crew member about this scene, I will get Matt to kick your ass." Nav warned as she shut the door.

"Go up to the bridge and help Horse." Nav called through the door, there was a series of grumbled replies before they faded away.

"Mike?" Kate's voice was weak and dry, she had clearly taken in a lot of water.

"Katie it's alright, your safe." Mike said he hugged her and kissed her on the head, he was so glad she was alright. Nav and Bomber were standing behind the pair, smirking and looking at each other.

They whispered between themselves before Bomber stepped forward.

"Sir, I have to check her again now that she's awake." Bomber said lightly to Mike, he looked up; slightly startled.

"Do it, call me when you're done." Mike got up and started to turn to Kate but thought again, turning to Nav.

"Nav, lets go; I want Swain back here to help Bomber." Mike looked sternly at Nav and Bomber. Nav nodded and walked out while saying yes sir.

Once Nav was out of ear shot, he stood in front of Bomber; whispering.

"Bomber, she's lost one before."

"When?" Bomber asked in the same low voice, she looked at the closed door just in case.

"When she first came onto the boat three years ago," He replied with a glance at Kate who was drifting between being awake and asleep.

Bomber nodded and turned to Kate, Mike walked out and quickly up to the bridge.

"RO, get me NAVCOM on the phone now." Mike walked to the front of the bridge to see the boat.

"Sir, the boat's taking off!" Nav yelled, Charge went to his station.

"Nav, make the call." Mike nodded to her and took his seat.

"Vessel on my port bow! This is Australian Warship, stop or heave to or we will fire upon you." Nav spoke into the radio.

"Sir, the vessel has sped up; it's currently doing 15 knots.' Charge said as he locked the e-od on the fleeing vessel.

"Charge, three warning bursts across the bow." Mike said, not taking his eyes off the boat that had his crew.

"Aim at target,"

"Engage!"

A few minutes passed, it seemed the vessel only sped up!

"There not stopping sir," Nav called, checking the computer.

"Radio them again Nav," Mike said, he turned slightly to face the brunette.

"Yes sir," Nav clicked on the radio.

"Vessel on my port bow, this is Australian Warship. Stop or heave to or I will fire upon you." Nav repeated firmly, completely focused.

Mike took a cup of coffee from RO and sipped it, watching the action in front of him.

"X-Ray 82 this is Sierra 82, we're heading to the boat taking on water." Buffer's voice was almost quiet over the radio, Mike grabbed a radio.

"Buffer, what's your situation? Over." Mike asked, nothing but static answered him.

"He must've turned it off," Kate's weak voice was heard as she came onto the bridge, Mike turned and saw how pale she was.

"X, get back downstairs. Now." Mike commanded, he was close to yelling but he didn't… barely.

"Sir, I'm fine." Kate stared Mike face to face, the officers went into a staring contest.

"X, don't make me…" Mike started.

"Sir! I tried to stop her but she -" Bomber appeared in the door way but was quickly cut off.

Mike rolled his eyes and turned to Bomber, slightly annoyed he lost the glaring contest again; to Kate.  
He softly glared at Bomber then looked at Kate before pointing to her normal seat.

"Sit on the chair, don't move unless I tell you to or we get fired upon." Mike warned, giving his X a firm look.

"Sit."

"Yes sir," Kate mock saluted and sat on the seat, a small smile playing on her lips.


End file.
